MMMaster Gardener Thymesaster Gardener Thymesaster Gardener Thymes   Official Publication 

Volume  12, Issue  2    Mar­Apr 2015 

COMING SOON----SPRING 2015!! Spring is almost here! Check out all the upcoming events, seminars, workshops, etc. in the Calendar of Events located at the end of this issue! Many opportunities to get those 8 CEUs necessary to meet your MG certification requirements!! Master Gardeners Annual Recognition Dinner Northeast Tennessee Master Gardeners gathered for a wonderful potluck dinner and recognition of all the efforts made in 2014. Here are a couple of the recognition photos. To see all of the recognition photos, go to our website: www.netmga.net. Vegetable Gardening 101 – A HUGE Success!! The Northeast Tennessee Master Gardeners Class of 2014 presented Vegetable Gardening 101 on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport. The workshop, designed for new vegetable gardeners, included an opening session by Dr. Natalie Bumgarner, the University of Tennessee Residential and Consumer Extension Specialist Here are a few pictures captured at the workshop.

 2015 NETMGA OFFICERS  PRESIDENT      Bill Speed    423‐483‐1511    bspeed@lbrtax.biz  VICE PRESIDENT     Art Green    423‐239‐3300    artwgreen@gmail.com  TREASURER     Pat Mazurkiewicz    423‐323‐1644    robmazur@chartertn.net  SECRETARY     Nancy Schilling    423‐833‐1420    nancyschilling@gmail.com  MEMBER AT LARGE   Johnny Suthers    423‐323‐2202    jchemie@aol.com  PAST PRESIDENT     Delette Walker   423‐434‐9992      ddw270@embarqmail.com  ADVISOR   Chris Ramsey    423‐646‐9043    cwramsey@utk.edu   2015 NETMGA COMMITTEE CHAIRS   CERTIFICATION OFFICER   Angie Droke    423‐578‐8281    adroke@chartertn.net  MEMBERSHIP   Sally Richard    423‐341‐6166   sdr37615@comcast.net  PROJECTS     Johnny Suthers    423‐323‐2202   jchemie@aol.com  2014 CLASS REPRESENTATIVES     Charlene Thomas    423‐483‐4665    cthomas@milligan.edu    Robert Lounsbery    276‐492‐1722    crlounsbery@hotmail.com  PROGRAMS    Jane Mullins    423‐212‐0173    ajtmul35@yahoo.com  WEBSITE   Carl Voight    423‐467‐2013    voigt7@comcast.net     PUBLICITY       TBD NEWSLETTER CO‐EDITORS    Betts Leach    423‐571‐8662    BettsL@aol.com     Julie McPherson    423‐956‐1287    juliemcpherson2@yahoo.com  NEWSLETTER LAYOUT DESIGN     Junella McClellan     423‐534‐8097     j.mcclellan@hotmail.com  HOSPITALITY    Kathy & Larry Wagner     423‐323‐5446     kwagner@chartertn.net  

Upcoming NETMGA Meetings Monday, March 9th Board Meeting @ Sullivan Co. Extension Office, 6:00 PM. All board members are urged to attend. Monday, April 6th - General Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Gray Fairgrounds Building 1; Topic: Plant Division All members are invited to attend this hands on program. Please bring any plants you may have questions about dividing or propagating. Several experienced Master Gardeners will demo dividing and propagating a number of different perennials. Members will have the opportunity to take some plants home. Please bring a snack to share, if you have time. If you would like to demo a process, please contact Jane at 423-737-7915 or ajtmul35@yahoo.com to be included in the program.

Featured Project

Carver Peace Gardens This community garden won the coveted 'Four Star Award' for Tennessee Parks and Rec in 2014. We are so proud of that recognition, but are even prouder of the good food and good works that our gardens are producing. From offering women in rehab alternatives to drugs and alcohol, to donating fresh food to Johnson City's 'pay it forward' One Acre Cafe, the gardens are teaching residents the skills necessary to grow delicious healthy food for their own tables as well. This good food doesn't come without effort though and as a Master Gardener, participating in some of our ongoing work projects offers you a way to get your hours while leaving you with the feeling that you really are making a difference.

Infrastructure improvements are being made to the garden this winter, thanks to the city's Parks Department. They have moved the neglected green-house that has sat unused in a remote corner of the park, to within the garden fence, and will be running electric and water to it as soon as weather permits. This addition will allow us to start our seeds inside and then to provide transplants to not only our community gardeners but to other area gardens as well. It also provides us the opportunity to teach the gardeners about seed starting, choosing varieties best suited for NE TN, seed saving and more. I'm sure the addition of this greenhouse will prove to be

a valuable tool. It also requires more micro-management than I currently have the time for, so there will surely be opportunities for anyone interested in that aspect of gardening too. Last fall, we received a small gift that allowed us to purchase and plant a small orchard, grapes and berry bushes. Those were things that had been on our wish list for over 7 years! Now that they've been planted, this first year will be the most critical in terms of the long-term health of those plantings. An 'orchard/vineyard manager' would most certainly be appreciated. If you have experience and a bit of time to help with spraying or pruning fruits, please contact me. The city of Johnson City is also currently installing a rollaway gate, to allow easy deliveries of soil amendments, as well as our own small dumpster for disposal of garden debris that is too tough for composting. These small but important details will make gardening easier than ever for our gardeners. In spite of these improvements, we can still use your help! The spring issue of the Master Gardener Thymes will include a calendar of events, classes and workdays that will be held during the upcoming growing season. Be sure to check it out and drop me a line if you have any questions or want to schedule some work hours for your certification at: simpleintn@yahoo.com. Submitted By Sam Jones, Class of '04 and Project Coordinator

 

Upcoming NETMGA Meetings

Monday, March 9th Board Meeting @ Sullivan Co. Extension Office, 6:00 PM. All board mem-bers are urged to attend.

Monday, April 6th - General Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Gray Fairgrounds Building 1; Topic: Plant Division All members are invited to attend this hands on program. Please bring any plants you may have questions about dividing or propagating. Several experienced Master Gardeners will demo divid-ing and propagating a number of different perennials. Members will have the opportunity to take some plants home. Please bring a snack to share, if you have time. If you would like to demo a process, please contact Jane at 423-737-7915 or ajtmul35@yahoo.com to be included in the pro-gram.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SPRING 2015!! March Herb Saplings Meeting

Herb Saplings will meet Thursday, March 5, at 7 pm at Exchange Place. Community Herbalist and Master Gardener Sandee Cook will present a fun and tasty program on Herbal Seasoning Blends, concocting our own combinations of dried herbs to produce ethnic and salt free blends for cooking and seasonings. There will be a chance to taste various blends with cream cheese and/or butter be-fore we mix the herbs, so we can decide what flavors we want to combine.

No April Meeting since our regular meeting date is the Thursday before Easter.

Green and Growing Seminars

Green and Growing, a series of lunchtime gardening seminars, will be presented from 12 noon to 1 p.m. on the first three Thursdays in March at the Kingsport Public Library Mead Auditorium. These free sessions, designed for both beginners and experts alike, are sponsored by Keep Kingsport Beautiful, Kingsport Public Library, and Southern Appalachian Plant Society. The seminar topics are:

March 5 – “Invaders in Our Gardens.” Learn about non-native invasive plant pests and native plant alternatives with Master Gardener Nina Hedrick. .

March 12 – "Give your Landscaping a Facelift" with Kingsport Times-News gardening columnist Roy Odom. Roy, who holds a BS in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design, will talk about land-scape rejuvenation, pruning, replanting and adding accent plants to your existing landscaping.

March 19 – "Pest Free!" Learn how to keep your garden pest free and pesticide free with Phil Ramey, Master Gardener and volunteer with Harvest of Hope Community Garden.

For more information call Keep Kingsport Beautiful 423-392-8814.

TREE KEEPERS 2015

Sponsored by Washington County (VA) Master Gardeners Saturday, March 14, 2015

8:30 am - 2:00 pm Steele Creek Park Lodge $10 per person

Light breakfast & lunch provided. Pre-register at 423-764-4023 by Wednesday, March 11th

Schedule of Events:

8:30 am - Light breakfast and check-in

9:00 am - “The Tree Basics” - Jeremy Stout, Steele Creek Nature Center

10:00 am - “Gardening with Natives: shrubs & wildlife” - Don Holt, Steele Creek Nature Center

11:00 am - “Proper Planting & First Year Maintenance” - Kevin Sigmon, Abingdon Town Arborist

12:00 Noon - Lunch

12:45 pm - “Apple Trees: selection & care” with Tim Hensley, Urban Homestead

 A Calendar of Our Finest Flowering Trees

Horticulturist and garden writer Hugh Conlon will present “A Calendar of Our Finest Flowering Trees” on Thursday, March 19, at 7 pm in the auditorium of the Kingsport Center for Higher Education, 300 W. Market St. in downtown Kingsport. Starting in March and going right through September, Hugh has selected many of our region’s highly reliable flowering landscape trees. If you anticipate redesigning your home landscape, this program should be valuable to you.

Hugh Conlon recently retired from the University of Tennessee where he served 33 counties in East Tennessee as Extension Area Specialist Ornamental Horticulture. A professional horticulturist for 41 years, Hugh has written hundreds of garden features and articles for Tennessee Gardener and other garden/trade magazines and newspapers and has been a frequent speaker at commercial horticultural and gardening events. Hugh organized the first UT Master Gardener class in the Tri-Cities area in 1994. Currently, he is creator and content provider of the gardening website: whatgrowsthere.com. He continues to speak to Master Gardeners, garden clubs, and trade and professional associations and to consult with gardeners, commercial landscapers and growers.

Sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Plant Society (SAPS) and the Kingsport Higher Education Center, this program is free and the public is invited. For more information, call 423-817-5473 or email jnjmoore@embarqmail.com April SAPS Program - Ten Medicinal Herbs for the Home Garden

Dr. Jeanine Davis, Associate Professor of Horticulture and Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University, will speak on “Ten Medicinal Herbs for the Home Garden,” on Thursday, April 16, at 7 pm, location TBA. Dr. Davis’s research and extension programs are dedicated to sustainable and organic production of medicinal and culinary herbs, vegetables and specialty crops. She will introduce to us medicinal plants that can be grown in our gardens and discuss the research and use of each.

Dr. Jeanine Davis is a researcher and extension specialist with NC State University located at the Mountain Research and Extension Center, Mills River, NC, in the mountains of western North Carolina. For over 25 years, her program has been focused on helping farmers improve profitability by growing new crops, transitioning to organic agriculture, and adopting more sustainable practices. Medicinal herbs are among her specialties and she is co-author of the book Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal & Other Woodland Medicinals. She is also a frequent and popular public speaker on medicinal herbs, specialty crops, and sustainable living. Her current research efforts are focused on woodland botanicals, Chinese herbs, hops, truffles, broccoli, and organic heirloom tomatoes. www.ncherb.org

Sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Plant Society (SAPS), this program is free and the public is invited. For more information, call 423-348-6572 or e-mail sapsinfo@embarqmail.com.

Green & Growing Garden Show & Sale

Explore gardening and outdoor living at its best at the Green & Growing Garden Show & Sale, Sun-day, April 19, from 10 am – 5 pm at the Kingsport Farmers Market. Sponsored by Eastman and WKPT-TV/WAPK-TV/WTFM. All proceeds go to support the programs of Keep Kingsport Beautiful. Tickets $5/Advance, $7/Door. Exhibitors will be showcasing and selling anything and everything for your garden. Enjoy free demonstrations and classes. Door prize drawings held throughout the day. KKB is currently seeking vendors for this event, including greenhouses, nurseries, lawn & garden centers, farm supply centers, landscapers, hardscape specialists, pond suppliers, lawn equipment, and artists. The early bird discount for a 10 x 10 indoor booth space starts at $125.00! For exhibitor booth applications or questions, contact Robin Cleary, Keep Kingsport Beautiful, 423-392-8814 or rcleary@kingsportchamber.org.

 Exchange Place Spring Garden Fair

The 31st annual Exchange Place Spring Garden Fair will be held Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 26, from 12 - 5 p.m. at Exchange Place Living History Farm, 4812 Orebank Road in Kingsport, Tennessee. The oldest garden fair in the region and a favorite among gardeners, the event will feature thousands of plants for sale - perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs - with the emphasis on herbs, natives and heirloom plants (including a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes), along with garden related arts and crafts. The Fair is also an educational and family event that fills the grounds and buildings of the historic site, and gardening experts will lead “Talks and Walks” and area Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer home gardening questions throughout the weekend. Heritage breeds of animals and the spring activities on a mid-1800’s farmstead will be featured as volunteers shear the sheep, spin and weave the wool, cook over the hearth, and shape iron over the forge. Children's activities abound as volunteers help children create garden crafts and learn gardening skills, and area 4-H groups show their animals. Ol' timey music and traditional foods add to the atmosphere. A Rain Barrel Workshop will be ongoing throughout the weekend. (See details below.)

The Fair strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible with recycling, composting, and re-using. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own plant carriers and to bring used nursery pots for recycling/reusing.

Admission is $3 for adults and free for children under 12. For more information, call 423-288-6071. www.exchangeplace.info

To volunteer to staff a shift at the Master Gardeners' booth, please call Joy Moore at 423-348-6572 or e-mail at jnjmoore@embarqmail.com. Volunteers are also needed to help with set-up, hospitality and take-down/clean-up and other aspects of organizing the Garden Fair.

Rain Barrel Workshop at Spring Garden Fair (Reduce your summer water bill)

On both days of the Exchange Place Spring Garden Fair, Rain Barrel Kits will be available for $40.00. Payment can be by check or cash. Participants can assemble the kits into a finished 55 gallon rain barrel on site, or take the kit and instructions with them to complete at home. If wanting to assemble the kit on site at Exchange Place, participants are encouraged to bring a cordless drill, ¼ inch drill bit, ¾ inch drill bit and 1 ¼ inch spade drill bit and pocket knife. A cordless jig saw would also be useful, but not essential. It takes less than 30 minutes to assemble the Rain Barrel. The rain barrels are 55 gallon food grade blue plastic barrels. It is possible to paint the barrels. Some pictures of painted barrels will be available. 2015 Arbor Day

The Northeast Tennessee Master Gardeners are proud to present the Fourth Annual "From the Roots Up" celebration, in honor of Arbor Day. Hosted by the Town of Jonesborough and the Johnson City Power Board, this event will take place 10:00-4:00 on May 9th, 2015.

In addition to being the Inaugural event, this is the first event of its kind in the nation! This celebration will feature trees and their importance to our environment.

   

   

               

                                 C H R I S    R A M S E YC H R I S    R A M S E YC H R I S    R A M S E Y   

      SULLIVAN COUNTY  EXTENSION  AGENT 

       (423) 646‐9043        cwramsey@utk.edu  

Chris’ Corner  Chris’ Corner  Chris’ Corner     

Hello area UT Extension Master Gardeners! Just wanted to clarify about our current policy regarding “lifetime” status. Currently, the University of Tennessee requires all Master Gardeners to be present in our online entry system. For those of you with involvement since 2004, you must enter 5 volunteer hours to remain an “active” volunteer. Without an hours entry, you will not appear in the UT database and will be considered lifetime inactive. You may return to lifetime active status from inactive status if your interest or situation changes.

The UT TSU Extension Sullivan County Office would like to invite you to come to our Open

House on Thursday, March 12, 2015. You may come and eat lunch any time between 11:30 and 1:30 as long as the food lasts. You DO NOT have to pre-register to attend this event.

Coming up on Thursday, March 19, we will hold our annual Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop. Call 279-2723 soon to reserve your rootstock if you would like to attend this program.

When you are promoting a project or program, always remember to include the UT Extension logo and the civil rights statement. Let me know if you need these items and I will get these for you.

Happy Gardening!

1 Boundless Playground at Warriors’ Path State Park Kingsport Gwyn Duncan 423‐239‐0460 geduncan@charter.net  2 Carver Peace Gardens Johnson City Sam Jones 423‐773‐3204 simpleintn@yahoo.com  3 Church Hill Senior Citizens Center Garden Marcia Vandermause mmvdvm@charter.net   Judy Penley chscgarden@yahoo.com  4 Exchange Place Living History Farm Kingsport Earl Hockin‐Vegetable Garden ehockin@yahoo.com Dave Gostomski‐Lawns, Trees, etc. e3fan98@yahoo.com  5 Harvest of Hope Community Garden Kingsport Doug Hilton  423‐239‐9433 howlatthemoon1775@gmail.com  6 Johnson City Medical Center, Woodridge Hospital Johnson City Barbara Voigt 423‐467‐2013 voigt7b@comcast.net  7 Northeast State Community College Gardens to Degrees Contact Chris Ramsey for details 

8 Rocky Mount Living History Site Piney Flats Don Davis home 423‐854‐0152, cell 423‐943‐ 2392 donfdavis@aol.com  9 Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park Elizabethton Vikki Bradach vbradach@gmail.com  10 Tipton Haynes Historic Site Johnson City Claudia Hazel claudiajhazel@yahoo.com  11 Vance Community Gardens Bristol Gini Powell PowellG@btcs.org Rebecca Craddock Craddockr@btcs.org  12 &13 Projects 12 and 13 are one weekend a year for each  of the 4 activities:  Johnson City Home Show and Women’s Expo Penny Rutledge pennyrutledge2@aol.com  Kingsport MeadowView Home Show Doug Hilton 423‐239‐9433 howlatthemoon1775@gmail.com  

2014 NETMGA Projects List 

MARCH 2015 Calendar of Events MAR 1 Orchid Society of East Tennessee - 2 pm Gray Community Center. MAR 3 Washington County Bee Keepers Association

7:30 pm; Appalachian Fairgrounds, Building #1 MAR 3 Invasive Plants with instruction by Nina Shippen

9:30 – 11:30 am; NC Arboretum in Asheville; Cost: $27 Member/$37 Non-member; Limit: 25 students. To register: http://www.ncarboretumregistration.org/Invasive-Plants-030315-P1573C271.aspx

MAR 5 Green and Growing: “Invaders in Our Garden” with Nina Hedrick

12:00 – 1:00 pm. Kingsport Public Library Mead Auditorium. Contact: Keep Kingsport Beautiful 423-392-8814.

MAR 5 Herb Saplings Meeting, Exchange Place, Kingsport

7:00 pm. Community Herbalist and Master Gardener Sandee Cook will present a fun and tasty program on Herbal Seasoning Blends.

MAR 5 Stone in the Garden with instruction by Doug Dearth 9:30 – 2:30 pm; NC Arboretum in Asheville; Cost: $38 Member/$48 Non-member; Limit: 15 students. To register: http://www.ncarboretumregistration.org/Stone-in-the-Garden-030515-P1574C271.aspx MAR 7 Ben Hunter – Vegetable Gardening

9:00 am – 12:00 pm - Sycamore Shoals State Park Community Room (registration not required); contact: 423-543-5808. 

MAR 7 Starting Seeds with Martin Litz

10:00 – 11:30 am; Mize Garden Center in Gray. Admission is free but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve your seat

MAR 7 Lawn Care – Prevent Weeds, Fertilize, and 4-Step Program

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport and Colonial Heights MAR 7-8 Organic Growers School Spring Conference, UNCA, Asheville

9:00 am – 5:30 pm both days. $60 for Saturday, $55 for Sunday, $115 for both days. Information: http://organicgrowersschool.org/annual-spring-conference/ Registration: https://organicgrowersschool.org/2015-annual-spring-conference-registration/

MAR 8 Specialty Plant Sale - Hellebores & Heucheras at the UT Gardens Knoxville

1:30 – 4:00 pm. Program and sale will be held in Hollingsworth Auditorium (on the Ag Campus near the Gardens). Contact: 865-974-8265 or utgardens@utk.edu.

MAR 8 “Spring Flowers” - Sunday Garden Talk at UT Gardens Knoxville

2:30 – 3:30 pm. Cost: free/members, $5/nonmembers. Pre-registration is required. Contact: Derrick Stowell at 865-974-7151 or dstowell@utk.edu.

MAR 9 NETMGA Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at the Extension Office in Blountville. MAR 11 JC Parks & Rec: Welcome Spring Hike, Future Sinking Creek Nature Park

6:00 – 7:30 am. Cost: $1 per person. Call for directions to location: 423-283-5821.

MAR 12 Green and Growing: “Give your Landscaping a Facelift” with Kingsport Times-News gardening columnist Roy Odom

12:00 – 1:00 pm. Kingsport Public Library Mead Auditorium. Contact: Keep Kingsport Beautiful 423-392-8814.

MAR 12-14 2015 Beginning Beekeeper’s School, Appalachian Fairgrounds, Bldg #1

6:00 pm, Mar 12 – Registration (no pre-registration required) 6:30 – 9:00 pm, Mar 12 & 13 – Classes by veteran beekeepers, state inspectors, etc. 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, Mar 15 – “hive build” day There will be a fee. For more information contact WCBA at 423-302-0667 or email club@wcbeekeepersassociation.com. School Flyer: http://www.wcbeekeepersassociation.com/Docs/WCBA%20Flyer.pdf

MAR 14 Honeybees with John Hamrick, UT Extension

10:00 – 11:30 am; Mize Garden Center in Gray. Admission is free but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve your seat

MAR 14 Tree Keepers 2015

8:30 am – 2:00 pm; Steele Creek Park Lodge. $10 per person. Light breakfast & lunch provided. Pre-register at 423-764-4023 by Wednesday, March 11th.

MAR 14 Small Fruits in the Garden

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport MAR 16 Garden Fair Program

Memorial Park Community Center/Johnson City Seniors Center, 510 Bert St. Contact: 423-434-6229 or email amyotto@johnsoncitytn.org.

MAR 19 SAPS Meeting "A Calendar of Our Finest Flowering Trees" presented by Hugh Conlon

7:00 pm., Kingsport Center for Higher Education, 300 W. Market St, Kingsport. Admission: Free. Contact: 423-817-5473 or jnjmoore@embarqmail.com.

MAR 19 Grafting Workshop 1:30 - 8:30 pm, Outdoorsman Clubhouse, Blountville. Pre-registration is required. Please call 423-279-2723. MAR 19 Green and Growing: “Pest Free!” with Master Gardener Phil Ramey

12:00 – 1:00 pm. Kingsport Public Library Mead Auditorium. Contact: Keep Kingsport Beautiful 423-392-8814.

MAR 21 Spring Hike: Early Spring Wildflowers and Waterfalls of Rocky Fork 9:00 am. This event is a strenuous 7+ mile hike with several unbridged creek crossings. Bring lunch and water; wear sturdy hiking boots. Meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday March 21, at the Interstate 26 Visitors Center at exit #46 in Unicoi County. Contact: 423-239-8531.

MAR 21 Raised Bed Gardening

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport MAR 21 Climbing/Trailing Plants for Trellis

10:00 am - Evergreen – Colonial Heights MAR 21 Spring Hike: Clean-Up Hike at Roan Mountain State Park

10:30 am. Work project time and details for Spring Hike 2015 TBA. Contact: 423-772-0190.

MAR 28 Vegetable Gardening with Master Gardener Phil Ramey 10:00 – 11:30 am; Mize Garden Center in Gray. Admission is free but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve your seat

MAR 28 Herb Container Workshop – Make and Take

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport and Colonial Heights MAR 31 Organic Growers School Get Growing, Organic Gardening Series-Class1

7:00 – 9:00 pm. Lenoir Rhyne University, Asheville, NC. Cost: $15. Information and registra-tion: http://organicgrowersschool.org/events/get-growing-series/.

APRIL 2015 Calendar of Events APR 4 Vegetable Container Gardening with Master Gardener Jeanne Cope

10:00 – 11:30 am; Mize Garden Center in Gray. Admission is free but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve your seat.

APR 4 Lawn Care – Weeds, Weeds, and LESS Weeds

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport and Colonial Heights APR 4 JC Parks & Rec: Bluebell Wildflower Hike at Winged Deer Park, Johnson City

10:00 – 11:30 am or 1:00 – 2:30 pm. Cost: $1 per person. Contact: 423-283-5821 APR 5 Orchid Society of East Tennessee - 2 pm Gray Community Center. APR 6 NETMGA General Membership

6:30 pm; “Plant Division and Layering”. Master Gardeners will demonstrate division and propagation of several types of perennials. Members may bring a snack to share. Gray Fairgrounds, Building #1

APR 7 Washington County Bee Keepers Association

7:30 pm; Appalachian Fairgrounds, Building #1

APR 7 Organic Growers School Get Growing, Organic Gardening Series-Class1 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Lenoir Rhyne University, Asheville, NC. Cost: $15. Information & registration: http://organicgrowersschool.org/events/get-growing-series/.

APR 11 Wooly Day at Rocky Mount Living History Museum

11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Cost: $5 for everyone age 5 and older; members admitted free. Contact: 423-538-7396.

APR 11 Perennials with Master Gardener Nina Hedrick

10:00 – 11:30 am; Mize Garden Center in Gray. Admission is free but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve your seat.

APR 11 Shade Lover Perennials

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport APR 11 Shade Lover Gardens With Hostas

10:00 am - Evergreen – Colonial Heights APR 11 Spring Plant Sale at the UT Gardens Knoxville

9:00 am – 2:00 pm. Contact: 865-974-8265 or utgardens@utk.edu.

APR 12 Spring Flowers - Sunday Garden Walk at UT Gardens Knoxville 2:30 – 3:30 pm. Cost: free/members, $5/nonmembers. Pre-registration is required. Contact: Derrick Stowell at 865-974-7151 or dstowell@utk.edu.

APR 14 Container Gardening with Sylvia Elwyn

10:00 am – 12:00 pm; NC Arboretum in Asheville; Cost: $27 Member/$37 Non-member; Limit: 30 students. To register: http://www.ncarboretumregistration.org/Container-Gardening-041415-P1577C271.aspx

APR 14 Organic Growers School Get Growing, Organic Gardening Series-Class1

7:00 – 9:00 pm. Lenoir Rhyne University, Asheville, NC. Cost: $15. Information & registration: http://organicgrowersschool.org/events/get-growing-series/.

APR 16 SAPS Meeting – "Ten Medicinal Herbs for the Home Garden" presented by Dr.

Jeanine Davis, researcher and extension specialist, NC State University 7:00 pm., Location To Be Announced. Admission: Free. Contact: 423-348-6572 or sapsinfo@embarqmail.com.

APR 17-19 Spring Nature Festival at Warriors’ Path State Park

7 pm (Fri); 7:30 am (Sat); 9:30 am (Sun). Participate in seminars taught by professionals and hikes guided by trained naturalists. Topics include: spring wildflowers, tracking, astronomy, stream life, local geology, spring trees and more! Free but pre-registration is required. For more information call 423-239-6786 or 423-239-8531 or email marty.silver@tn.gov. Link: http://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/warriors-path/spring-nature-festival

APR 18 Landscape Seminar and Plant Auction

9:00 am – 12:00 pm - Sycamore Shoals State Park. An exciting array of unusual ornamental and native perennials, trees and shrubs will be auctioned during this event. Contact: 423-543-5808.

APR 18 Chickens with Tiffany Stanley, NPIP certified

10:00 – 11:30 am; Mize Garden Center in Gray. Admission is free but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve your seat.

APR 18 JC Parks & Rec: Basic Tree ID, Future Sinking Creek Nature Park

10:00 – 11:30 am. Cost: $1 per person. Call for directions to location: 423-283-5821. APR 18 Companion Plantings in the Vegetable Garden

10:00 am - Evergreen – Riverport Rd Kingsport APR 18 Vegetable Container Gardening

10:00 am - Evergreen –Colonial Heights APR 18 Newcomb Wildflower Walk with Glenn Palmer, Asheville Botanical Gardens

10:00 am – 12:00 pm; Cost: $12 Member/$17 Non-member. Participants must register and pre-pay. Information/registration contact: 828-252-5190 or bgardens@bellsouth.net.

APR 18 Spring Native Plant Sale at Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville

9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Admission: Free. Contact: Ed Yost (865) 577 4717, ext. 129 or eyost@ijams.org.

Northeast Tennessee 

Master Gardener Association 

c/o  

UT Extension Sullivan County 

3258 Highway 126, Suite 104 

Blountville, TN 37617 

http://netmga.net

http://mastergardeners.tennessee.edu

APR 19 Green & Growing Garden Show & Sale

10:00 am – 5:00 pm at the Kingsport Farmers Market. Contact: Robin Cleary, Keep Kingsport Beautiful, 423-392-8814 or rcleary@kingsportchamber.org.

APR 22 Earth Day 2015 APR 23 Hats in Bloom Luncheon, Knoxville Botanical Garden

11:00 am. Cost: $45. Reservation required: 865-862-8717. Contact: info@knoxgarden.org. APR 24-26 Garden Faire, Abingdon, VA APR 24-26 Spring Naturalists’ Rally at Roan Mountain State Park

For complete details please call 423-543-5805 or visit www.friendsofraonmtn.org APR 25 Community Plant Exchange

9:00 – 10:00 am - Sycamore Shoals State Park, front parking lot. Contact: 423-543-5808. APR 25-26 Spring Garden Fair at Exchange Place, Kingsport

10:00 am – 5:00 pm (Sat) and 12:00 pm – 5:00pm (Sun). For more information, call 423-288-6071.

APR 25 Spring Plant Sale, Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum

9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Contact: info@knoxgarden.org.

Master Gardeners: report your hours each month!!